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Abortion Rights Still Popular, But…

Public opinion on the legality of abortion has remained relatively stable for well over a decade, with slight majorities of the public (54%) saying they favor keeping abortion legal. The “but” is that fewer Americans have tended to express support for making abortion illegal in “all or most cases,” ranging from a low of 36% to a high of 48% over the same period of time. (pewresearch.org)

While men and women are about equally likely to express support for abortion rights (53% of men and 54% of women say it should be legal), women are more likely than men to say abortion should be legal in all cases. Majorities of most age groups say that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, although support for legalized abortion is somewhat lower among those under age 30 (52%), compared with those aged 50-64 (58% — baby boomers).

According to the Pew Research findings: “While the public generally tends to support legalized abortion, it is also clear that most Americans harbor concerns about the morality of abortion, and favor certain restrictions on its use. For instance, most Americans (73%) believe that abortion is morally wrong in nearly “all” (24%) or “some” (49%) circumstances. Only 24% say abortion is not a moral issue.”

That last group scares me. Issues of right and wrong don’t pertain at all to the termination of a human life in utero? I wonder if those same folks are card-carrying members of PETA. I’m always struck by those who value a chicken over a human being.

Basically, “the public supports abortion when the physical or psychological health of the mother may be in danger, or when the pregnancy results from rape or incest. Most Americans disapprove of abortion when the circumstances relate to economics, life choices, or a personal preference not to have a child.” This heartens me. As goes the value of human life…so goes civilization.